Former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano was no stranger to the dark arts when it came to gaining an advantage on a football pitch.
The ex-Argentine international was a part of the Liverpool midfield under Rafa Benitez and formed what Reds fans termed the 'best midfield in the world' alongside Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.
Mascherano was a key part of the battles with Chelsea that took place with regularly in the Champions League at the time - something that could be repeated in this season's semi-final if Liverpool beat Real Madrid and the Stamford Bridge side progress past FC Porto.
But some of the lengths that Mascherano would go to in order to gain an advantage have now been detailed.
Mascherano knew that he could get under the skin of opponents in different ways, and, according to The Athletic, specifically learnt the words to a derogatory song the Kop sang to antagonise John Terry so he could wind up the Chelsea skipper.
He was also someone who would never let a slight knock keep him out of a game.
"There were times when he’d been limping all week and you’d get told on a Friday," one former Liverpool staff member recalled.
"[We would be told that] ‘Javier is really struggling, he’s got no chance for the weekend’ - but then come Saturday, he was adamant that he was fine to play and he’d still be like a rocket into every tackle.
"I think about the international breaks when he’d get off the plane at 7am on a Friday after a 15-hour flight and come straight to training.
"You’d think, ‘No chance for Saturday’ but he’d always say, ‘Mister, I am ready’. That’s what he called Rafa."
Mascherano is now 36 and retired from football last November having finished his career back in his homeland with Estudiantes.
